A collection of 70 ancient books discovered in a cave in Jordan could be some of the earliest Christian documents.

"One of the largest and best-preserved collections of ancient sealed books has been discovered in a cave in Jordan and are believed to be some of the earliest Christian documents, according to the BBC.

The 70 tiny books could date back to the first century. Carbon dating tests found that a piece of leather found with the scrolls was over 2000 years old.

Experts say the books, made of lead and copper and bound by rings, may be more significant than the Dead Sea Scrolls, BBC reports.

The writing featured in the books is a form of archaic Hebrew script with ancient messianic symbols, mixed with some form of a code, according to a news release. The codices show notable references to symbols of the Feast of Tabernacle, and depict images of menorahs and fruiting palm trees.

The books are currently the subject of a dispute between authorities, archeologists and an Israeli Bedouin who smuggled the books into Israel and hid them, claiming they were found by his great-grandfather, The Telegraph reports.

Authorities in Jordan want the books returned, since under Jordanian law, they are property of the Kingdom of Jordan, according to the news release.

Archeologists in Israel claim the books are forgeries, while British archeologists are committed to saving and studying the ancient scrolls.

"It is an enormous privilege to be able to reveal this discovery to the world," David Elkington, leader of the British team, said in a news release, adding in an interview with the Daily Mail, "It is a breathtaking thought that we have held these objects that might have been held by the early saints of the Church.'"

The most intriguing portion, which faith had it right from the beginning?

A collection of 70 ancient books discovered in a cave in Jordan could be some of the earliest Christian documents.

"One of the largest and best-preserved collections of ancient sealed books has been discovered in a cave in Jordan and are believed to be some of the earliest Christian documents, according to the BBC.

The 70 tiny books could date back to the first century. Carbon dating tests found that a piece of leather found with the scrolls was over 2000 years old.

Experts say the books, made of lead and copper and bound by rings, may be more significant than the Dead Sea Scrolls, BBC reports.

The writing featured in the books is a form of archaic Hebrew script with ancient messianic symbols, mixed with some form of a code, according to a news release. The codices show notable references to symbols of the Feast of Tabernacle, and depict images of menorahs and fruiting palm trees.

The books are currently the subject of a dispute between authorities, archeologists and an Israeli Bedouin who smuggled the books into Israel and hid them, claiming they were found by his great-grandfather, The Telegraph reports.

Authorities in Jordan want the books returned, since under Jordanian law, they are property of the Kingdom of Jordan, according to the news release.

Archeologists in Israel claim the books are forgeries, while British archeologists are committed to saving and studying the ancient scrolls.

"It is an enormous privilege to be able to reveal this discovery to the world," David Elkington, leader of the British team, said in a news release, adding in an interview with the Daily Mail, "It is a breathtaking thought that we have held these objects that might have been held by the early saints of the Church.'"

The most intriguing portion, which faith had it right from the beginning?

This is an intriguing find. After studying the Dead Sea Scrolls I can't wait to see what these books reveal. It's archeological finds like this, that always seem to coincide with Biblical references, that continues to be one of the many things that feed my faith.

Yeah I saw this on yahoo news yesterday. Being wholly uninformed and unqualified to utter so much as a syllable of analysis at this point I'll wait to see what comes of this. At first blush, I didn't think leather bookbinding was that old.

A collection of 70 ancient books discovered in a cave in Jordan could be some of the earliest Christian documents.

"One of the largest and best-preserved collections of ancient sealed books has been discovered in a cave in Jordan and are believed to be some of the earliest Christian documents, according to the BBC.

The 70 tiny books could date back to the first century. Carbon dating tests found that a piece of leather found with the scrolls was over 2000 years old.

Experts say the books, made of lead and copper and bound by rings, may be more significant than the Dead Sea Scrolls, BBC reports.

The writing featured in the books is a form of archaic Hebrew script with ancient messianic symbols, mixed with some form of a code, according to a news release. The codices show notable references to symbols of the Feast of Tabernacle, and depict images of menorahs and fruiting palm trees.

The books are currently the subject of a dispute between authorities, archeologists and an Israeli Bedouin who smuggled the books into Israel and hid them, claiming they were found by his great-grandfather, The Telegraph reports.

Authorities in Jordan want the books returned, since under Jordanian law, they are property of the Kingdom of Jordan, according to the news release.

Archeologists in Israel claim the books are forgeries, while British archeologists are committed to saving and studying the ancient scrolls.

"It is an enormous privilege to be able to reveal this discovery to the world," David Elkington, leader of the British team, said in a news release, adding in an interview with the Daily Mail, "It is a breathtaking thought that we have held these objects that might have been held by the early saints of the Church.'"

The most intriguing portion, which faith had it right from the beginning?

This is an intriguing find. After studying the Dead Sea Scrolls I can't wait to see what these books reveal. It's archeological finds like this, that always seem to coincide with Biblical references, that continues to be one of the many things that feed my faith.

Science feeds my faith. Everything takes the path of least resistance. A deer takes a game trail. Air fills the space without it. Nothing could move without something (God) making it move, because it would just settle in the spot where it is easiest for it to settle in. The universe needs a catalyst that doesn't go by its rules.